Afghanistan is an agrarian driven country, whose environment has been severely degraded by war, climate change, and harmful and neglectful practices. In response, NEHAL will be focusing on researching and applying sustainable agricultural techniques and methods for increasing people’s food resiliency while at the same time promoting the health of the land. We are employing permaculture principles to create an agroforestry demonstration site that where we will also be demonstrating other sustainability and environmentally beneficial practices. Permaculture integrates land, resources, people, and the environment through mutually beneficial synergies. It is a multidisciplinary toolbox including agriculture, water harvesting and hydrology, energy, natural building, forestry, waste management, animal systems, aquaculture, appropriate technology, economics and community development that is applicable to any scale in urban or rural areas.

We are also networking with other environmental sustainability groups around the country to galvanize a group that will work toward a healthier and more sustainable Afghanistan. We will hold conferences and trainings with other network members as well as, through online platforms such as Facebook, raise awareness and create resources for the general public to learn about sustainable agriculture. both in the commercial as well as private sphere. We will be sharing research, collaborating on events, creating how-to videos, and highlighting other like-minded sustainable farmers and groups to people around the country so that we can to inspire change in areas throughout the country.

In the future we will be expanding to working with schools. With this partnership we will work with children to learn about the importance of environmental sustainability as well as basic gardening skills to enable the future generation of Afghanistan with the knowledge and skill for taking care of themselves and their country’s environment.